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gategrrl I've been re-reading books 4-7 of Harry Potter - just borrowed the seventh book from the library today after staying up way past my bedtime finishing book 6. I've gotta say, I'm more impressed this go-round with the books than I remembered the first time I read them.
Book 6 was originally "meh" for me. I had too many theories and expectations dragging it down for me. I still don't think that Rowling is the greatest writer ever, BUT she has impressed me with her portrayal of good guys and bad guys having more to them than cackling and rubbing of hands. Ron, it's pointed out, can be cruel. Hermoine can be oblivious. Harry himself, although clearly on the good guy side, has his dark moments, and here and there, you can understand why Snape is beyond frustrated with him because yes, Harry gets away with a lot.
I like how Rowling makes a point of showing how, although people might be working on the same side, they might not all like each other, or be neutral about each other. Harry asks Lupin his opinion on Severus Snape, and Lupin tells him he feels neutral about the man - because, whether or not Shape liked Lupin, he correctly and faithfully mixed his potions while he was at Hogwarts and said nothing about his condition directly. She shows the dissension and jealousies between the Death Eaters - though they might be working for Voldemort, they aren't all of one mind. Slughorn, although a Slytheran and a former head of house, is a social climber, but sees worth in his smarter students - with him, intelligence and connections are everything, NOT their lineage. Even Dumbledore went in for some late character development (not going to go into the famous statement Rowling made during an interview) explaining a lot about his behavior. I just wish it had come earlier in the series. But I wasn't upset with it.
There's more that I noticed, and it was nice to see how the books went from a pure black and white, to black and white with a fair mix of grays. The myriad characters all had varying motives, and to me, it's clear that Rowling is one observant person of the people around her. Plus she manages to give all of her characters a mix of the good and bad. Like I said, I'm not saying she's a master writer, but she IS capable of some fairly complex plotting and characterization.
Book 6 was originally "meh" for me. I had too many theories and expectations dragging it down for me. I still don't think that Rowling is the greatest writer ever, BUT she has impressed me with her portrayal of good guys and bad guys having more to them than cackling and rubbing of hands. Ron, it's pointed out, can be cruel. Hermoine can be oblivious. Harry himself, although clearly on the good guy side, has his dark moments, and here and there, you can understand why Snape is beyond frustrated with him because yes, Harry gets away with a lot.
I like how Rowling makes a point of showing how, although people might be working on the same side, they might not all like each other, or be neutral about each other. Harry asks Lupin his opinion on Severus Snape, and Lupin tells him he feels neutral about the man - because, whether or not Shape liked Lupin, he correctly and faithfully mixed his potions while he was at Hogwarts and said nothing about his condition directly. She shows the dissension and jealousies between the Death Eaters - though they might be working for Voldemort, they aren't all of one mind. Slughorn, although a Slytheran and a former head of house, is a social climber, but sees worth in his smarter students - with him, intelligence and connections are everything, NOT their lineage. Even Dumbledore went in for some late character development (not going to go into the famous statement Rowling made during an interview) explaining a lot about his behavior. I just wish it had come earlier in the series. But I wasn't upset with it.
There's more that I noticed, and it was nice to see how the books went from a pure black and white, to black and white with a fair mix of grays. The myriad characters all had varying motives, and to me, it's clear that Rowling is one observant person of the people around her. Plus she manages to give all of her characters a mix of the good and bad. Like I said, I'm not saying she's a master writer, but she IS capable of some fairly complex plotting and characterization.
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Date: 2008-03-15 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-03-24 07:53 pm (UTC)I finished going through Book 7 during the week (which reminds me, I have to return it to the library today) and, although I know there were many fans upset with the ending/epilogue, it really didn't bother me. I think I wrote a review of it when I first read it, a few months after it came out. The writing did seem to rely on elements that felt a bit deux ex machina (wtf, Elder Wand?) and didn't feel entirely thought-through, which is odd. Why odd? Considering Rowling had probably been thinking about where the story was going for years before hand...well, it could be she had a lot of written in her head and didn't translate it all very well to the page. It happens.